He has been chief of staff at both Southern Hills and Sunrise hospitals, which, like MountainView Hospital, are owned by the largest for-profit hospital chain in the United States, the Hospital Corporation of America.

“It’s all about money, all about the trauma activation fee they could charge,” Nemec said. “That’s it. Millions of dollars.”

Nemec, the founder of Gastroenterology Associates, serves on the Southern Nevada District Board of Health. He talked outside district offices about why he felt the board did the right thing Thursday in voting to reject the hospitals’ applications for low-level trauma centers. He later expanded on his thoughts during a phone call.

“I can tell that we wouldn’t have even have had this discussion about trauma centers today if trauma activation fees weren’t involved,” he said. “This isn’t about trauma patients getting better care. What we should be most concerned about are the patients.”

Nemec has shown his concern for the heath of the community before.

In the wake of the 2007 hepatitis C outbreak in Las Vegas — 60,000 people had to be tested for hepatitis after the now-imprisoned Dipak Desai did not follow infection-control protocols during colonoscopies — Nemec helped spearhead a campaign that persuaded area health facilities to make safe injections and infection control part of ongoing training programs.

Unfortunately, Nemec said, some hospitals have realized that with the Affordable Care Act and the expansion of Medicaid — the number of uninsured has dropped dramatically — there is money to be made off a low-level trauma designation without making a significant investment in materials or manpower.

If a hospital has a Level 3 trauma designation, such as St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena Campus, it can charge thousands of dollars more for trauma expertise. St. Rose charges nearly $10,000 on top of regular medical treatment for trauma care.

Trauma activation fees at HCA hospitals in Florida are more than $30,000. There is no limit to what a hospital can charge.

Yet Nemec says a Level 3 trauma center, which the American College of Surgeons says is suited for rural areas but not suburban or urban areas, doesn’t offer any better medical care than a traditional emergency room.

“The only difference is that it’s codified that over a 24-hour period they have to have a surgeon available within 30 minutes,” he said. “And they enter into transfer agreements with high-level trauma centers. But most emergency rooms already have that. All the Level 3s do is drive up costs.”

Nemec said difficult trauma cases, where skilled specialists often perform life-saving surgery, have to be taken to either University Medical Center, the only Level 1 trauma center in Southern Nevada, or Sunrise Hospital, a Level 2 center.

According to the National Trauma Data Bank, more than 96 percent of trauma patients taken to UMC survive, even though many of them enter with only a 1 percent chance to live.

If you do end up in a Level 3 trauma center when you need more specialized care, you have to be moved, which makes a bad outcome more likely, he said.

“Delays don’t help,” he said.

During the public comment session of Thursday’s board meeting, Dr. Meena Vohra told the story of Giulian Grasso — his story was shared in this space last week — to board members. Because he had a closed head injury and was able to talk after a fall, he was taken to St. Rose. A 2½-hour delay in his arrival at UMC left the 15-year-old partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

Vohra believes many children are mistakenly taken each year to St. Rose, either by parents or paramedics. Health district statistics show that more than 160 pediatric and adult trauma cases at St. Rose were transferred to either UMC or Sunrise.

“If we can show a need is there for more trauma centers — and we haven’t — then we should OK more,” Nemec said.

Electric Daisy Carnival attendees began to vacate the Las Vegas Motor Speedway starting before 5 a.m., the majority heading south on Interstate 15.

What it's like to skip the lines and fly by helicopter to EDC

What it's like to skip the lines and fly by helicopter to EDC. (Janna Karel Las Vegas Review-Journal)

DJ Steve Aoki visits Las Vegas comic book store

DJ Steve Aoki visits Torpedo Comics in Las Vegas Friday, May 17, 2019, for a signing for his new comic book series "Neon Future." (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto

Las Vegas Smith & Wollensky opens at The Venetian

After 18 years, the Smith & Wollensky location on Las Vegas’ south Strip closed in 2017, to be re-born two years later with a rib-cutting — instead of a ribbon-cutting — in The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. (Heidi Knapp Rinella/Review-Journal)

Colin Cantwell, Creator Of Iconic Star Wars Ships Visits Vegas

Colin Cantwell, who created and designed such "Star Wars" ships as the X-Wing fighter, and Death Star, met fans at Rogue Toys in Las Vegas today. (Mat Luschek / Review-Journal)

Dozens of chefs representing some of the Strip’s top restaurants gathered Thursday at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to launch the 2019 edition of Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appetit. (Al Mancini/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bunky the Clown at the clown convention

Bob "Bunky the Clown" Gretton talks about his life as a clown and the Clown Convention which was in Las Vegas at Texas Station this week. (Mat Luschek / Review-Journal)

Frying soft-shell crab at Lola’s in Las Vegas

At Lola’s: A Louisiana Kitchen in Las Vegas, soft-shell crab is breaded and fried and served either as an appetizer, po’boy or platter. Heidi Knapp Rinella/Review-Journal

There are plenty of events going on May the 4th this year around Las Vegas. Celebrate Star Wars and Comic Book Day all at once. The Rogue Toys, the 501st, Rebel Legion and Millennium Fandom Bar are all hosting fun events to help celebrate your geek-dom. (Mat Luschek / Review-Journal)

Las Vegas Water Sports Introduces New Attraction At Lake Las Vegas

Las Vegas Water Sports will debut its new aqua park attraction at Lake Las Vegas Days this weekend. (Mat Luschek / Review-Journal)

The M, Park MGM and NoMad are just a few great pools in Las Vegas. (Mat Luschek/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Jose Andres explains Iberico pork

(Al Mancini/Las Vega Review-Journal)

Inside Life is Beautiful

Craig Asher Nyman explains how Life is Beautiful festival is booked and talks about this year's line-up. (Jason Bracelin/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Tattoo'd America Pops Up In Vegas

Tattoo'd America, a new pop-up attraction on the Linq Promenade, had their grand opening Friday. The attraction is dedicate to the culture of tattoos. (Mat Luschek / Review-Journal)

Jose Andres gets key to the Strip

Chef Jose Andres was presented with a Key to the Las Vegas Strip and a proclamation declaring April 26 Jose Andres Day in Clark County by County Commissioner Tick Segerblom on Friday. The ceremony took place at his restaurant Bazaar Meat in the SLS Las Vegas. (Al Mancini/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender runs Thursday, April 18th through Sunday, April 21st with a huge car show on Saturday featuring The Reverend Horton Heat, The Delta Bombers and The Coasters. (Michael Quine/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Brownie sundae at VegeNation in Las Vegas is completely vegan

Donald Lemperle, chef/owner of VegeNation in Las Vegas and nearby Henderson, NV, makes his sundae with ice cream made with coconut and almond milks, a brownie made with coconut flour and oil and organic sugar and cacao, and fresh fruit. (Heidi Knapp Rinella/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

As strange as it may seem, however, the fact that Kenny Sanchez went to trial — he admitted in court acting “poorly” during a verbal altercation with Stewart before arriving Christmas morning — turned out to be the best thing for him, the people of Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman High School, and, in large part, the justice system.

Brynn Coseru, a mother of two young children who’s been a synchronized swimmer in Cirque’s aquatic classic “O” for 11 years, is in training at Touro University for what she’s going to do when her body can no longer take the wear and tear — she’s going to be an occupational therapist.

Because of underfunding and Catholic Charities’ desire to reach as many seniors as possible with its Meals on Wheels program,the agency provides lower cost “flash frozen” nutritious meals to seniors. It currently costs the agency about $5.12 to make, package and deliver a meal while it can cost around $9 to deliver a hot one.

Given that my last close friend recently passed and I have dealt with some health issues of my own, I truly want there to be an afterlife. It is an incredibly romantic idea, after all. And I’m a hopeless romantic.